The Unclad Soul

I saw him as I pumped gas in my car at the Shell Station. It was hot outside and he was sitting in the shade in front of the convenience store. An older man, thin, African American, with a scruffy two or three-day growth of white stubble and shaggy salt and pepper hair. As I walked into the convenience store to get a soft drink he smiled at me with uneven teeth. There was a warmth in his smile. He didn’t ask for anything. But I knew he was there to accept any change anyone might give him. I returned to my air-conditioned car and stared at him for a minute. As I drove out I went around to where he was and rolled down my window. I motioned for him to come over. He slowly got up and walked to my car. “Yes sir?” he said. I handed him some cash and said, “What is your name, friend?“ He said, “Carl.” I said, “You have a good day, Carl.” He smiled and put his hands together and bowed and said, “Oh, God bless you, sir. God bless you.” I don’t know his situation. But whatever it is I f...

I finally got around to watching David Letterman's show on Netflix, "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction." I watched three episodes that included Howard Stern, Jerry Seinfeld, and Tina Fey. All of the celebrities were funny and interesting and in some instances surprising in the personal stories they told. Howard Stern revealed some fascinating things about his childhood, hilariously describing how his father talked, and sharing how he and his mother discussed sex. No wonder the man has no barriers. When she asked what he wanted on his 13 th birthday he said a copy of Playboy. Their conversation after that was shoulder shaking funny. His mom said okay, but she told him the women in that magazine were not real. She said she and Howard’s sister were real. Not everyone is a sexy model, she told him. He said he has toned down over the years ever since going to Sirius XM Radio in 2006. Now that he can say whatever he wants he decided he didn’t want to say the crude a...